WB govt carrying on social welfare schemes despite tight fiscal condition : Mamata
Chief Minister MamataBanerjee Tuesday said the West Bengal government has notstopped its social welfare schemes and has paid salaries andpension regularly despite tight fiscal condition due to verylittle financial help from the Centre during the COVID-19pandemic.
The state has spent Rs 4500 crore for coronavirustreatment facilities from its own coffers despite the tightfinancial situation, she said at an administrative reviewmeeting here.
“For every single paise spent I have to be accountableto the public, as it is public money. The state has its ownlimitations. The Centre has not given any financial help, butthat has not stopped us.
“We are giving salary, pension to our staff regularlyin the COVID-19 situation. Of the 10 crore population, notless than 9 crore have benefitted in some way or the other bythe numerous globally recognised social welfare schemes of ourgovernment. What we have managed despite the COVID situationin terms of continuing social welfare projects isunprecedented,” she claimed.
Referring to the recent visit of Union Home MinisterAmit Shah to a tribal household in the district “as an attemptto do politics.” She said, “They (BJP) had come to do politics. (Shah)Took meal from a five star hotel, stayed at the tribal housefor some time to have the meal and then left. They did nothingfor the treatment of the ailing girl of the household”.
The TMC workers have visited the girls residence andthe district administration has arranged for her treatment,Banerjee said.
The Trinamool Congress supremo had on Mondaydescribed Shahs visit as a “show off” and had claimed thatthe food items served to the BJP leader were cooked at a fivestar hotel.
Informed of the eviction of people from railway landnear Bankura town, Banerjee asked the district authorities toensure that there is no forcible eviction.
“The district magistrate and superintendent of policewill ensure that people living on such land are not harassedby anyone. We have given free title deed for those living oncentral, state and private lands for years so that they cannotbe evicted,” she said.
She said a dedicated freight corridor was coming uplinking Dankuni-Burdwan-Durgapur-Barjora which will helpcreating employment opportunities for thousands in severalsouth Bengal districts.
Banerjee expressed displeasure over a large number ofcases lodged with programme implementation and publicgrievances cell.
She said 3405 Bangiyo Sahayata Kendro (Bengal helpcentres) have already been set up by the state government indifferent blocks to help people get information aboutdifferent departments for free.
The state, she said, had discontinued the earliercentral project in which one had to pay money for information.
She said under the Pathashree project of the state ,16,199 km roads will be renovated or relaid in different partsof the state by December 31, 2020 by different implementingagencies like the panchayat, urban affairs and PWD.
Banerjee said during the tenure of her government, 2.5lakh km road had been constructed in the state, while thefigure was 65,000-70,000 km under previous regime.
She said the headquarters of the welfare board fordifferent backward castes will be set up at a place where theconcerned community members are in larger numbers.
The headquarters of the cultural board for Bauricommunity will be set up in Bankura and for Matuas atThakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district, she said.
The chief minister announced Rs five crore grant forthe Bauri board.
She complimented the Bankura district administrationfor achieving the average of 1353 COVID-19 tests daily buturged them to ramp up the testing figure.
Banerjee asked chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay,who was present, to hasten the government project to digitisethe thousand years old Sanskrit manuscripts of Bishnupur.
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